Julia’s Story – Abdominal Pain Clinic

The last two years were rough for 14-year-old Julia. She had abdominal pain, nausea and lightheadedness that made her feel sick almost all the time. “I went to a variety of experts in my hometown of Springfield and tried all kinds of diet and food changes, but nothing seemed to work,” Julia shared. 

Then, a friend’s mom recommended the Abdominal Pain Clinic at Children’s Mercy. There, a team of care providers helped Julia get to the bottom of her constant stomach pain. They diagnosed her with eosinophilic enterocolitis, a condition where the white blood cells in her immune system go into overdrive and attack healthy tissue.

“For a while, I didn’t eat much because it was hard for me to recognize what foods were a trigger for me,” Julia said. Learning about the mechanics of her condition helped her understand why eating was so painful. “My body treated anything I ate like a foreign attacker, when it should only be doing that to the viruses and bacteria that aren’t supposed to be there,” she explained.

With the help of medication and biofeedback — a technique that monitors how her body reacts to pain so she can learn to stay mentally and physically calm when it happens — Julia feels much better now. She is excited for her first year of high school and plans to compete in a Brazilian jiu jitsu tournament this fall.

And she’s grateful for her care team at the Children’s Mercy Abdominal Pain Clinic. “I am so thankful that I found you guys when I did,” Julia said. “My clinic team specialized in my exact condition and understood what I was going through, not only physically but mentally, too. They helped me not just get better, but back to where I hoped I’d be.”

With expanding options from telehealth and the partnership between Children’s Mercy and Mercy Springfield Communities, Julia’s family is looking forward to being able to get specialized pediatric care even closer to home.